Manure Management, Get the Scoop on Poop

Anyone that has animals knows that manure happens. Many 4-H projects fall into the animal category and create their fair share of manure. It is important to make sure to include a manure management system into any animal project. The system may be as simple as spreading out the manure or creating a compost system.

Do you have an animal?

Do you have a manure management system?

The following chart shows approximately how much manure is created by each species in a six month time frame:

Table 1. How much manure do we get?

Animal Cubic yards/6 months
Horse 5.5
Cow (1,000 lb) 7
Sheep 0.5
Chicken 0.25
Pig 1.5
Data: OSU Extension publication EM 8649

Now, what do we do with it? This Living on The Land Managing Manure article shares a variety of different ways to handle manure responsibly.

Drag Pastures
Collect from all season pens
Use it
Give it away or sell it
Store it

Check out the article or the audio files and share with your 4-H club! Chances are not everyone has thought about the manure management side of an animal project.

Camp Counselor Opportunities for 2015

“The counselors are the best!”

Counselors are the heart and sole of any camp, just ask the campers. Being a camp counselor is a very rewarding experience. It not only looks great on a resume, but it really is the ultimate life skill. Camp counselors gain experience in:

Teamwork
Organization
Role modeling
Teaching
Learning
Planning
Safety
Leadership
And so much more!

In Hood River County, we are always looking for young individuals 7th-12th grade that want to gain experience as a counselor. The 2015 camp counselor training opportunities are available to all. Notify dani.annala@oregonstate.edu if you are interested in getting involved. Come be the best part of camp! P1000935

Date	Event	Location	Who Should Participate?	Why Should You Participate?
January 19, 2015 10am-3pm	Winter Counselor Retreat	OSU Extension Office Hood River County	7^th-12^th graders interested in serving in counselor roles through 4-H.	· Complete required counselor training hours · Meet new people · Serve as a camp counselor
February 16, 2015 10am-3pm	Camp Counselor Training	TBD	7^th-12^th graders interested in serving in counselor roles through 4-H.	· Complete required counselor training hours · Meet new people · Serve as a camp counselor
March 27, 2015	Counselor Application Due to the Extension Office		7^th-12^th graders interested in serving as counselors at 4-H summer camp	· You cannot serve as a camp counselor without a completed application
March 28-29, 2015 Sat Morning-Sun. Morning	4-H Leadership Camp	Camp Morrow, Wamic, OR	All 7^th-12^th Graders.	· Hang out with fun people for the weekend · Meet new people
April 18, 2015 10am-3pm	Counselor Training	TBD	Selected Camp Counselors	· Complete required counselor training hours · Serve as a camp counselor
May 31, 2015 2pm-5pm	Counselor Training		Selected Camp Counselors
June 16, 2015 5pm-into camp	Counselor Training	Camp Morrow, Wamic, OR	Selected Camp Counselors
June 17-20, 2015	4-H Summer Camp	Camp Morrow, Wamic, OR	Selected Camp Counselors 4^th-6^th graders
June 24, 2015 Morning	Camp Re-Cap	TBD	Summer Camp counselors	· Help make camp better
June 24-27, 2015	OSU Summer Conference	OSU Campus, Corvallis, OR	All 7^th-12^th graders	· Visit OSU Campus · Meet new people · Apply to be a State ambassador · Leadership and fun classes

Setting Goals for 2015

As the year comes to an end, it is time to start planning for 2015. A new year often brings new goals. Start constructing your goals today!

25% of people abandon their new year’s resolution after the first week and 60% abandon it after six months. To avoid becoming one of these statistics here are five tips to help you fulfill your goals for 2015:

Write your goals down. Putting something down on paper helps hold you accountable.
Tell a friend. Tell a friend about your goals. A good friend will help hold you accountable and help you find ways to achieve your goals.
Visualize yourself accomplishing your goal. Envision your success. Doesn’t it feel good? Now go and get it!
Set deadlines. Most goals are not accomplished overnight, it takes a little work every day over a long period of time. Create benchmarks for yourself.
Be realistic. Your main goal might be big, so set a realistic accomplishment for the year. I can’t personally build my dream house and work a full time job in one year, but I can work a full time job and complete a portion of a house. Don’t set yourself up for failure, be realistic!

In 4-H we are constantly pushing kids to think about goals they want to accomplish, but don’t forget yourself.

P1000909

Once you have your own goals set, help some kids set a few! A good resources for helping kids think about 4-H related goals is the Goal Setting Leader’s Guide to Helping Youth.

Start setting some goals!

Be a Food Hero

The holidays are a great time for eating treats and I often find myself eating a few too many. This year I am using a new site to find a little healthier option, foodhero.org.

Food Hero provides great recipes that all have a little healthier spin. My favorite recipe for the season is a lovely orange delight. Not only is this simple and tasty but it reminds me of the orange that I would always get in my stocking!

orange_delight

What recipe will you try this year? Be sure to check them all out and this holiday season you can be a food hero too!

Planning the Perfect Coop

It is never too early to start thinking about designing a chicken coop. Perhaps you are thinking about getting chickens this spring, or simply improving an existing chicken coop.

There are lots of things to consider and this publication on backyard chicken coop design is a great place to start. It identifies what to do for protection, size, ventilation, roosting poles, nest boxes and basic coop maintenance. It lays out the basics of coop design and keeps it short and simple!

Then when you are ready, you can check out one of our incubators and start a little chicken family!

Having designed my own coop using this backyard chicken coop design guide, I couldn’t be happier. Start your planning!

4-H Winter Fun!

Are you looking for something to do over winter break? 4-H has some great offerings. Come on out for a great time, learn something new and possibly whip up a great treat! Registration is required, so hurry up and register today!

December 29, 2014

1:00pm-3:00pm

Whole Grains and Tasty Treats

OSU Extension Conference Room

Come learn a little bit about whole grains, grinding your own grain, and baking tasty treats!

4-H members FREE

$5 non-members

December 30, 2014

10:00am-3:00pm

OSU Babysitting Training

OSU Extension Conference Room

This training is designed to train youth in many aspects of babysitting including first-aid, baby care, toddler care, healthy snacks and easy meals for kids to cook and eat, business tips, age appropriate games and safety. Those completing the training will receive a certificate and a wallet sized completion card.

$20 Cash or Check at the Door

January 2, 2015

10:00am-3:00pm

Young Entrepreneur’s Handcrafts and Hobbies

OSU Extension Conference Room

This day camp gives young entrepreneurs the opportunity to learn from locals, discover how to start a small business, and explore different handcrafts and hobbies that could lead to businesses. We will craft, build, design and learn the basics of getting a business started.

$10 Cash or Check at the Door

Beef it up!

Over the last two years we have seen tremendous growth in the 4-H beef project. Raising a market steer is no easy task and it is a long term commitment. So what gets people excited about beef?

They are awesome! Not only do they have a great personality, but they also have great hair.

This year we’ll be holding a 4-H/ FFA beef clinic. We will have guest speaker Katie Deupree speaking and teaching about caring and feeding, grooming, and showing your beef! This will be a great workshop for beginners and advanced. Come on out and learn from the expert. Katie will probably share some tips on what to do with all your animals great hair!

Be sure to sign up for the clinic on December 14th at 1:00pm at a barn near the Hood River County Fairgrounds. This clinic is being organized by one of our very own 4-H members, Lexi Jones, in her quest to learn more about raising and showing beef.

Animal Pails and Microbe Tales-The Happy Ending is up to YOU!

Yes, our lovely animals may have some tag-a-longs and it is up to you to know about it. Below is a great resource to help teach your 4-H club about bio security and keeping animals healthy.

Winter is a great time to brush up on information, so that you can be ready in the spring to introduce your new market animal to your home.

This animal science lesson can be used across 4-H animal project areas to develop an understanding of microorganisms, or “germs” -and how they are transmitted, and to promote animal health with safe cleaning methods and good management plans. If you have any questions about teaching the lesson or training your volunteers to use it in a club setting contact Dani.Annala@oregonstate.edu.

The PowerPoint presentation to be used in this lesson is available at http://oregon.4h.oregonstate.edu/animal-science-projects

The Germ Glow kit can be borrowed by contacting dani.annala@oregonstate.edu

4-H Can Help Our Community

You may have seen in the local newspaper a calling for food donations to the local FISH food bank. If so, I hope you thought to yourself what a great way for my 4-H club to help our community!

4-H strives to give back to others and this time of year is such a great time to do it. Right now, the FISH food bank needs help putting food on the shelves for families in need. Their supply has run short and they need some donations. Your 4-H club could take a day and gather donations or simply donate something from your own cabinet.

Come on 4-H, let’s help out our community. Feel free to drop off a food donation at the OSU Extension Office this week December 1st-5th and we will deliver it to FISH. Our office is open 8am-noon and 1-5pm Monday through Friday.

Check out the Hood River Fish Food Bank and see what else you can do to help.

The Science of Cooking an Egg

During the holidays you might find that you have a little extra time for breakfast in the morning. If you do, why not make some eggs with the kids and learn a little more about what is going on?

The science of cooking an egg is a quick lesson that helps you learn about the what happens to egg proteins when we add heat! This is a great way to incorporate a little science in the morning!

Time to get cooking!